Name Naomi Origin, meaning, pronunciation & popularity of the name Naomi

Naomi is a ♀ girl’s name and a ♂ boy’s name. Naomi thus belongs to the gender-neutral unisex names.

What is the origin of the name Naomi?

Naomi is a biblical name of Hebrew origin. In the Old Testament, she was the mother-in-law of Ruth and calls herself Mara after her return from Moab. Besides, Naomi is a Japanese unisex name.

What does the name Naomi mean?

Naomi means “pleasantness” or “my pleasantness” (from Hebrew “no’am/נועם” = pleasantness or “na’ám/נֹעַם” = to please + ‎”-í/־ִי” = my). In Japan, Naomi is a combination of “nao/直” meaning “straight” and “mi/美” meaning “beautiful” or “beauty”.

Variants of Naomi

In Japanese, Naomi is a unisex name. In the western culture, however, the name is only given to girls. In addition to the classic spelling Naomi, the variant Nahomi, Naomie or Naomy can also be selected. A version for a boy is Noam. For a euphonious name like Naomi, it can be nice to choose a suitable middle or double name. Possible combinations are: Naomi-Rebecca, Naomi Shea, Naomi Helena, Naomi-Rose, Naomi Grace or Naomi Rachel.

Famous women with the name Naomi

• For many, the first association with the name Naomi is the famous model Naomi Campbell. Born 1970 in London, the model made an international career at a young age and after numerous engagements with designer brands and catwalk appearances, she received the title of “supermodel”. During her career she was also active as a singer and actress. Even though she was adored by many as a model, Naomi Campbell was often in public criticism for misconduct towards her employees and other people. She has been convicted for this several times.
• Another world famous Naomi is Naomi Watts (born 1968), a British-Australian actress who has appeared in many well-known productions during her career. She was seen in “King Kong” (2005) and the Divergent trilogy (2015-2016), among others. Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with American actor William Crudup.
• A rising star from tennis is Naomi Osaka, a Haitian-Japanese tennis player who grew up in the United States. She finished first at the 2019 Australian Open and has also excelled in other competitions. Born in 1997, Naomi is one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. Outside of tennis, she is involved in activism, most notably with “Black Lives Matter.”
• Naomi Scott is a British actress and singer born in 1993. She became known for the musical remake of Disney’s “Aladdin” (2019), in which she played the role of Jasmine. Since then, Naomi has appeared in several major productions, including the action comedy “Charlie’s Angels” (2019) alongside Kristen Steward.

Fictional name bearers

• An American superhero action series is called “Naomi” (since 2022). The series bears the name of the main character Naomi McDuffie, played by Kaci Walfall. Naomi loves comic books and is very well-read, when one day she learns that she has superpowers herself. The series was created by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship.
• In the American horror-mystery TV series “Supernatural” (2005 - 2020), one of the angels who double as villains is named Naomi. She is played by British-Canadian actress Amanda Tapping.

Pronunciation of Naomi

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